Green Skiing or Greenwashing?

Last June, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) unveiled Sustainable Slopes: The environmental charter for ski areas, a 22-page booklet outlining voluntary greening-up tactics for resorts, like using cleaner fuels and managing wastewater responsibly. At press time, 160 areas had adopted the charter.

Though several environmental groups have decried the document's lack of concrete goals and enforcement measures ("It's a snow job," says Colorado Wild's Jeff Berman), NSAA claims the resorts have strong incentives to implement the charter's principles. "This is a first step," says NSAA's Stacy Gardner. "The real test will be looking back in a year and reporting on progress." We'll be all ears.

So, what do you think? Is the NSAA charter an honest commitment to environmental conservation or is it just a bunch of greenwash? Tell us what you think by e-mail or go to our forums for a chance to win... a shiny new skiingmag.com sticker.